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Media Sequester Madness

RUSH: Moving on to the audio sound bites. Norah O'Donnell, CBS This Morning, reported the following about the budget and the sequester.

O'DONNELL: Now to Washington and the argument over automatic budget cuts that could happen next week. A poll from Pew Research and USA Today finds 40% of Americans are willing to see those cuts take effect. Government agencies are already sending out warnings while the president and Congress are pointing fingers at each other.

RUSH: The media is not happy about this number: 40% want to see the sequester. That doesn't jibe with them. They think everybody ought to be opposed to it because Obama is opposed to it even though it was Obama's idea. But they're not sure about this. The media is not sure. Forty percent of the people want to see these cuts? That has 'em bamboozled. Now, Bill Plante on CBS This Morning had a report out there about the effect the sequester might have on people, and he talked to Navy Administrative Assistant Sue Ann Falkenberg. Sue Ann Falkenberg, Navy administrative assistant, said this...

FALKENBERG: I would have to get a part-time job to support my family. I can't exactly call my landlord and say, "Hey, I got a 20% cut in my salary. Can you reduce the rent for 20%?"

RUSH: Sue Ann, what you should do if this actually happens is say to your landlord, "Look, I'm gonna get this money back." We just had a federal employee who admitted that back pay is made during such times as this, during furloughs and momentary shutdowns. So you tell your landlord you're good for it. You're good for it and a holiday turkey at the appropriate time. Anyways, you see what CBS is doing. They go out and find civilian Pentagon people the day after the story comes out that Panetta says gonna have to furlough 800,000. Go out and find one to say (sobbing), "I have to pay the rent. My landlord's a skunk. He won't let me get by with... (crying)" I'm sorry, folks. I deeply apologize. I'm just trying to be lighthearted here. I'm not personally insulting Ms. Falkenberg. This the kind of thing that makes young women nervous. I apologize. It is worth crying about to the people to whom this is going to happen, and I didn't mean to minimize that. I'm really sorry.

BAUCUS: The White House recommended it, frankly, back in August 2011 -- and so now we're feeling the effects of it. Now, I don't want to say the president's solely to blame. He's not.

RUSH: Uh, that's not gonna make the regime happy. It was probably not known outside of Billings TV until just now. Max Baucus says, "The White House recommended it, frankly, back in August 2011 -- and so now we're feeling the effects of it. Now, I don't want to say the president's solely to blame. He's not."